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JOB DESCRIPTION

Quality Assurance/Quality Control Officer

DEFINITION

Under general direction, develops, directs, and coordinates the Districts qualityassurance/quality control (QA/QC) program, for staff involved in the collection and analyzing of water samples. Develops and coordinates special programs and projects related to qualitycontrol; reviews laboratory practices and procedures to ensure District and regulatorycompliance with quality assurance and safety standards; performs related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

The individual in this class is responsible for developing, directing, and coordinating acomprehensive Quality Assurance/Quality Control program for use in the Water QualityLaboratory satellite laboratories, and in the field, to ensure high quality analytical results. Thisperson is key to the District maintaining State certification as a fully accredited environmentallaboratory, and implementing practices and procedures which conform to District and regulatoryquality assurance and safety standards for environmental laboratories. Duties includecoordination of laboratory QA/AC and safety programs with local, state, and federal agencies tomaintain continued accreditation; development and maintenance of a program standards manual,computer based programs for quality control, statistical analysis of data, report generation, andrelated activities; development and presentation of training programs for affected staff, andpreparation of regular reports on laboratory operations related to quality control.

TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF DUTIES MAY INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TOTHE FOLLOWING:

1. Establishes, coordinates, and monitors the laboratory quality assurance program;works closely with section supervisors to plan, schedule, and implement QArelated activities.

2. Plans, develops, and implements quality assurance programs for field staff, andDistrict laboratory personnel.

3. Through affected supervisors and with the support of the Districts SafetyCoordinator directs, monitors, and evaluates safety practices and procedures withrespect to laboratory and field analytical work.

4. Prepares routine and special reports to staff, District management, and regulatoryagencies as required; prepares report of analytical results to state and federalregulators for compliance evaluation performance testing.

5. Prepares research papers for presentation at technical conferences or publications.

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JOB DESCRIPTION

6. Confers with representatives of various District units and other agenciesconcerning quality assurance and safety issues especially as related to sampling oranalytical problems, and use of laboratory chemicals, equipment and supplies.

7. Coordinates or develops standard operating procedures for field staff andlaboratory personnel; prepares and/or maintains computer programs for thecompiling and statistical analysis of quality assurance data; oversees the writingand maintaining of the Laboratory QA/QC manual; oversees

8. The maintenance of material safety data sheet (MSDS) records on chemicals andcompounds used by the laboratory and other divisions.

9. Develops and presents training program for laboratory and field staff; developstraining protocols, competency standards, and documentation requirements.

10. Coordinates or performs quality assurance system audits of laboratoryperformance using samples provided by regulatory or commercial agencies;prepares or reviews the preparation of calibration standards and quality assurancecheck samples for internal laboratory use.

11. Makes recommendations for purchase of prepared reagents or for contracting outroutine solution preparation.

12. Monitors and maintains the laboratory quality assurance database; develops,maintains, and reviews quality control charts; prepares or reviews the preparationof control limits, detection limits, and action levels for laboratory analyses.

13. Conducts training in the area of laboratory quality assurance and safety and safetyfor laboratory and District staff, provides technical expertise on statisticalevaluation and experimental design.

14. Confers with other District employees, representatives of governmental andindustrial organizations, and others on matters relating to laboratory qualityassurance.

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JOB DESCRIPTION

CLASSIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that has ledto the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and abilities as indicated above. Typical waysof acquiring these knowledge, skills, and abilities are:

Completion of four years of college, resulting in graduation or its equivalent, with majorwork in chemistry, microbiology, or closely related field, and three years of professionallaboratory experience, two years of which must have been environmental analysis withemphasis on laboratory quality assurance/quality control program management.

Knowledge of: Chemical characteristics of and standard methods for the analysis of environmental samples, particularly water and wastewater; principles and practice of laboratory quality assurance and quality control; laboratory safety practices andprocedures; computer based laboratory information management systems; samplingtechniques and methods of statistical analysis; principles of laboratory analyticalmethods,; status of state and federal regulations related to laboratory quality assuranceand safety practice; data management processing techniques.

Skill in: Performing standard quality assurance/quality control evaluation procedures,evaluating data using statistical methods for analysis, interpreting results of stat analysis,and making appropriate recommendations to management in developing and presenting avariety of training programs and preparing manuals and documentation.

Ability to: Develop and implement a coordinated applied program for laboratory qualityassurance; write clear and concise reports; work with a variety of supervisors to plan,schedule, organize and coordinate the quality assurance program.

License, Certificate, or Credential: Must posses a valid California Drivers license andhave a satisfactory driving record.

Other Requirements: Must possess physical characteristics to perform the essentialfunctions of the job. Must be willing to work during evening and weekend hours asneeded.

Adopted: 08/01

Approved: ____________ Human Resources Manager

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